A Gentle Clamp

I shuffled over to the low wooden bookshelf, seeking another quiet corner before bedtime. *Sigh.* Half-hidden near a stack of paperbacks sat a ridged, spring-loaded metal binder clip. I stared at its stiff black wings for a quiet moment. Carefully leaning my weight into it, I nudged the silver loop with a stubby arm. *Snap-click.* It jumped slightly, pivoting against the wood grain and pinching the corner of an old cardboard bookmark. The crisp vibration hummed right through my palm. Good enough... I slouched back against the smooth paperbacks, closed my heavy lids, and rested right there in the cool evening shadow.